Ayush Shetty Stuns World No. 1 Shi Yuqi as India Open Delhi Worlds in Style
Seventeen years after India last hosted the BWF World Championships, the tournament returned to New Delhi with a near-perfect opening day for the hosts.
Five Indian entries took to the court on Monday and all five emerged victorious. But the result that stole the spotlight came from 21-year-old Ayush Shetty, who produced the biggest upset of the day by defeating defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yuqi in a thrilling three-game contest at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Playing at his first World Championships, Shetty overcame a 0-3 head-to-head record against the Chinese star to win 21-14, 13-21, 21-19.
It was a performance built on powerful attacking play, disciplined defence and remarkable composure in the deciding game. With the home crowd behind him, Shetty held his nerve even after Shi mounted a late comeback.
The victory was the biggest of Shetty’s career and immediately turned him into one of the stories of the tournament.
There was also an intriguing piece of history attached to the upset. The last unseeded player to eliminate the men’s singles World No. 1 in the opening round of the World Championships was Loh Kean Yew in 2021. The Singaporean went on to win the title that year.
Shetty will hope history can offer him more than just an interesting comparison.
Shetty Holds His Nerve Against Shi
Shetty had lost all three of his previous meetings with Shi, including the final of the Badminton Asia Championships earlier this year. Yet the Indian showed little sign of being weighed down by that record.
Starting from the more favourable end of the court, Shetty immediately looked to impose himself. A 45-shot rally early in the opening game showed his patience, before his powerful smashes began to create serious problems for the defending champion.
At 6-foot-4, Shetty possesses one of the most dangerous smashes on the circuit. But his success was not simply about power. He used straight blocks while defending to create openings and then attacked whenever Shi lifted the shuttle into his hitting zone.
The strategy worked perfectly in the opening game as Shetty raced ahead.
The change of ends brought different conditions, however, and Shetty struggled to control the drift. His clears occasionally fell short of the back line, allowing Shi to take control and level the match.
The deciding game became a test of temperament.
Shetty returned to the favourable end and resisted the temptation to attack every shuttle. Instead, he waited for the right opportunities before unleashing his biggest weapon.
That discipline helped him build an 11-5 lead at the interval and extend it to 16-5.
Shi, the champion in Paris last year, refused to surrender. The Chinese star exploited a nervous spell from Shetty and won nine of the next 11 points to close the gap dramatically.
With Shi back in the contest at 18-15, Shetty even required a medical timeout for a minor injury.
The Indian eventually found himself just one point away from defeat at 19-20. But he produced the response that mattered most, converting the match point to complete a stunning 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 victory.
“I was telling myself to calm down,” Shetty said afterwards, acknowledging how difficult it was to maintain his composure as Shi fought back.
That calmness was particularly significant for a player who has often spoken about learning the importance of composure from his idol, Viktor Axelsen.
- Sindhu Begins Medal Bid With Comfortable Win
- Earlier, PV Sindhu also made a confident start to her campaign.
The former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist defeated Ireland’s Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11 in just 29 minutes.
Sindhu, who already has five World Championships medals, is chasing a record sixth medal at the event. Monday was also the first time she had played a World Championships match on home soil.
She made an emphatic start, racing to an 8-0 lead before Noble got on the scoreboard.
Sindhu controlled the exchanges at the net and took the opening game in only 12 minutes.
Noble offered greater resistance in the second game, benefiting from the favourable end and forcing Sindhu into longer rallies. But the Indian’s attacking quality remained too much for her opponent.
With Sindhu leading 12-10, she produced the decisive run, winning eight consecutive points to move to 20-10 before closing out the match.
Sindhu admitted she had felt some nerves before her opening match but was pleased with how quickly she settled into the conditions.
The win sends her into the second round, where she will join Shetty in returning to action on Wednesday.
India’s Doubles Teams Deliver
India’s winning start had begun before either of its singles stars took the court.
MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan opened the hosts’ account when Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds retired hurt with the Indian pair leading 21-16, 6-4.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand then advanced comfortably in women’s doubles, beating Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13.
Debutants Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi completed the perfect five-from-five start for India. They saved three game points in the opening game before overcoming Spain’s Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez 22-20, 21-14.
An Se-young Makes Injury-Free Return
While Shi Yuqi’s title defence ended at the first hurdle, women’s singles top seed An Se-young safely negotiated her opening match.
The Olympic champion defeated Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova 21-14, 21-13.
An had been managing a lingering foot problem and withdrew from the Japan Open last month. Her comfortable return to competition in Delhi will therefore be encouraging for the Korean camp.
The 25-year-old continues to search for improvement despite already sitting at the top of the women’s game.
But on the opening day in Delhi, the biggest story belonged to Shetty.
India could not have asked for a better start to its home World Championships. A 5-0 record was impressive enough. Removing the defending men’s singles champion and World No. 1 made the opening day unforgettable.
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